Pages

August 18, 2014

Roasted Tomato Tart

You have not experienced a tomato until you've sliced into one that you've just picked, still warm from the sun. Unfortunately, we only had one ripe tomato, so we supplemented with others that we got in our weekly vegetable delivery. I didn't think growing my own food would make such a difference, but the flavour of this tomato was so different than the others. You could really tell.

I mean, it was a different type of tomato, so the experiment didn’t have perfect controls, but I'm still pretty happy about the result. So I really wanted to choose a recipe to celebrate this glorious tomato. That is, apart from just eating it plain.

Behold the roasted tomato tart. Bright, ripe tomatoes spread over a bed of flaky pastry with minimal seasoning and additions. A scattering of fresh basil (also from our balcony garden) and a drizzle of olive oil.

Now we just can't wait for the remaining 26 tomatoes to ripen!

Roasted Tomato Tart1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted3 tomatoes1/3 cup grated gruyere cheese1/2 cup fresh basil leavesFreshly grated black pepperFleur de selOlive oil, to drizzlePreheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Slice tomatoes into 6ths or 8ths depending on the size. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into approximately an 8x8 square and place on parchment paper. Using a fork, poke the puff pastry all over leaving a 1 inch border untouched. Pile tomatoes on the puff pastry leaving the border empty. Sprinkle on the grated cheese.Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown and cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove onto a rack and top with the fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel.